Modern British imperialism
As a member of the nuclear club, with an impressive military potential and one of the best GDPs in the world, the Great Britain has always belonged to the type of states that determine the global vectors of world politics. Thus, the United Kingdom regularly promotes its national interests in the settlement or, on the contrary, escalation of international or local conflicts. As well as London is one of the main centers of international business and trade, along with Tokyo and New York, due to the high level of concentration of intellectual capital and the absence of a proscriptive judicial culture. However, despite its successes in the defense and economic spheres, the expert community has not yet reached a consensus on whether Albion is coordinating its actions with its main ally - the United States - or is building a special and independent position on global geopolitical issues, such as the conflict in Ukraine or the Palestinian-Israeli confrontation.
London in Kiev: expectation and reality
On the issue of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine, the UK has a clear position - all countries must refuse to cooperate with Moscow and redirect their resources to provide regular financial, humanitarian and military assistance to Kiev. In this way, London hopes to prevent the spread of Russian influence in the world and bring NATO's military contingent closer to Russia's borders, in other words, to achieve the goal of American political scientist Zbigniew Brzezinski by narrowing the "Anaconda loop".
Along with other NATO allies, the Kingdom has been actively providing logistical and technical support to Ukraine throughout the conflict, providing military training to Ukrainian armed forces fighters and teaching them how to use advanced Western weapons. For example, in June 2022, 30,000 Ukrainian servicemen underwent basic military training courses for those with minimal combat experience.
Recently, however, Western countries have been increasingly leaning towards freezing the conflict in Ukraine and its diplomatic settlement, which is not in line with the United Kingdom's foreign policy of strengthening Kiev's position through financial aid while maintaining sanctions pressure on Moscow, despite rising inflation in the UK.
British foreign policy in the Middle East
In March 2021, former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson published a new foreign policy strategy - the Concept of "Global Britain in the Age of Competition" - stating the Kingdom's refusal from fixation on Europe and expansion of its interests at the global level. According to this document, the leading role is still given to the West, but experts highlight the controversial side of the Concept, in which the author emphasizes a "new approach". It implies a change of vectors established after the Cold War: shifting the focus from American dominance towards the East (Indo-Pacific region), intensifying economic cooperation with the countries of Africa and the Persian Gulf.
Thus, today London is actively involved in the settlement of the long-standing and large-scale conflict between Israel and Palestine. In this dispute, the official position of the Kingdom is to recognize Israel's right to defense against terrorism and to conduct a hostage exchange, but at the same time the British government insists that Tel Aviv respect human rights and preserve the lives of civilians in Gaza. That is why British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak addressed the United Kingdom's partners in the Middle East - Jordan, Egypt, UAE and Saudi Arabia - and said that London is ready to do everything to preserve the concept of "two states for two peoples". At the same time, however, the Government representative visited a London synagogue and supported measures to protect Jews from anti-Semitism.
The dual position of the United Kingdom can be traced not only in the official statements of the Head of State, but also in the military and humanitarian assistance provided to the warring parties. For example, in order to prevent escalation of the confrontation and threats to Tel Aviv, London considered it necessary to send to Israel (in addition to the U.S. Navy) a Royal Navy task force, including the Argus and Lyme Bay ships, P8 aircraft, surveillance devices, three Merlin helicopters and a company of Royal Marines. But at the same time London increased humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza and civilians in the Occupied Territories of Palestine by £10 million and later to £30 million.
However, the tactics chosen by the UK are not accidental: in this way, London is trying to preserve its partnership with Tel Aviv and at the same time strengthen its presence in the Middle East. Thus, in October 2023, Rishi Sunak hosted King Abdullah II of Jordan in London, held talks with the President of the Palestinian Authority, the President of Turkey, the Emir of Qatar, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia and the President of Cyprus.
The United States and the United Kingdom: Allies or Rivals
Negotiations between representatives of the American and British governments show permanence and years of stability, characterized by bilateral diplomatic relations that form an important component of regional and global security.
For the United States, London stands in the position of a satellite representing American interests on European soil and pursuing a single course in foreign policy: for example, the Indo-Pacific region (IPR) is of interest to both the United Kingdom and the United States equally. One of London's objectives, in addition to trade, investment and technological support of its own economic interests in the IPR, is to position itself as a reliable military and political ally of Washington. This goal of Great Britain is evidenced by regular military exercises in the region with its closest allies - the United States, Australia, Japan and others. For example, in August 2023, as part of the QUAD military alliance, exercises were held in Australia, involving about 2,000 military personnel.
According to statements by U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, within the framework of the trilateral military cooperation AUKUS, a number of maritime exercises are planned for 2024, the purpose of which will be to jointly test and sharpen skills in the use of unmanned maritime systems.
It is important to note that Washington's growing interest in Asia limits the United States' ability to control the situation in Europe and helps London strengthen its position in the region. Under such conditions, the mutual interests of the United Kingdom and the United States in preserving the NATO-centric model of European security are simultaneously satisfied. It is this model - Britain's flexible alliances and bilateral agreements with individual European countries - that Washington prefers as opposed to strengthening European autonomy.
According to expert opinion, in alliance with the United States, the Kingdom will continue its policy of containing Russia both in Europe and in international organizations. However, the attraction of Chinese investments, such as the construction of the Hinkley Point nuclear power plant with the participation of a Chinese state corporation, may further cause contradictions between London and Washington.
Thus, the UK's foreign policy agenda is based primarily on strengthening the alliance with the US, as being on the side of one of the strongest players means taking part in global decisions. And in the Middle East, the Kingdom seeks to become one of the main actors in conflict resolution, thus confirming its importance on the world stage, which is the main goal of the country's new foreign policy concept.
